Travonatian
General information Travonatian (Trævonæxin) is the official language of Travonat, an island nation in the North Atlantic. The language is influenced by Scandinavian languages, Dutch, English, French, and a bit of Spanish and Portuguese. It can be classified as both a Germanic and a Romance language, as it has heavy influences from both families. Phonology Travonatian Pronunciation is very guttural, with the uvular sound /ʁ/ being very common, as well as the stops /k/, /p/, /b/, /t/, and /d/ Consonants Vowels Alphabet B, D, Ð, E, F, I, J, K, L, M, N, O, P, R, Я, S, T, V, X, Y, Æ, Ø, Ж, Þ Note that each letter makes only one sound. A tilde (~) is inserted after a vowel to nasalise it. Æ~ = ɑ̃ (like the ans in French sans) E~ = ɛ̃ (like the on in French thon) O~ = ɔ̃ (like the un in French brun) Ø~ = œ̃ (like the un in French brun) Loanwords Loanwords and proper nouns with are translated phonetically, and sounds not in the alphabet are approximated with this key: Long A (as in bacon) -> E C -> K/S CH -> TX G -> K H-> R Short I (as in bit) -> E J/DJ (as in jump) -> DЖ Short O (as in oxen) -> O Double O (as in food) -> Y Q -> K Short U (as in up) -> Ø W -> V Z -> Ж Phonotactics Vowel clusters are almost non-existent in Travonatian. Consonant clusters, though, are near-universal. Most of the consonant clusters end in a stop, most often K or D. Fricatives are very common, the most common being V and F. Grammar Travonatian is a very simple language with strict rules. There are few, if no exceptions to most rules. Verbs All infinitives of verbs end in -os. All present-tense verb forms end in -ok. All past tense verbs end in -op. All future-tense verb forms end in -on. Other words have these letters at the end, but there are no verbs that do not end in these letters. Nouns Nouns have fewer rules, but they have many cases, mostly referring to the possession of the noun. They are all maked by either a prefix or suffix. Note that prefixes and suffixes beginning/ending with a vowel attach a V to the end/front of the prefix or suffix if the word it is modifying begins/ends with a vowel. The equative case is marked by the addition of the suffix -rek to the subject. "The cat acts like a king": "Dy kæt'rek' æktok onæ rovæ" This case (not sure of the name) is marked by the suffix -ov, as in "The cat's food" becoming "Nyrtyrov dy kæt". The abessive case is marked by the prefix pi-, as in "Without him" becoming "Pilik" The comitative case is marked by the suffix -njæя, as in "Eggs with bacon" becoming "Øveknjæя beknor". Number in nouns is marked by suffixes as well. A plural is marked by -ek. Uncountable nouns (like water or time) are left as singular. Adjectives Adjectives go either before or after the word it describes depending on which letter is begins with. If the adjective starts with a vowel, nasal or approximant, it precedes the word it describes. If the adjective starts with a stop, affricate, or fricative, it follows the word it describes. The Entresletrev The Entresletrev is one of the oddest quirks about Travonatian. It is a type of sandhi that only occurs between a word ending in a vowel and another word beginning with a vowel. Entresletrev literally means "letter in between". Here are the rules: -It must be a stop. -It must not be the same letter as the stop before it in the sentence. -It must be the next stop that follows both these rules. In the sentence "Ðistonæ ætomek" (Eleven atoms), the entresletrev would be K, as it is the next stop in the sentence besides T, which is the final stop in the word "Ðistonæ". Thus, the proper sentence would be "Ðistonæ-k-ætomek" An unknown entresletrev, such as when a fragment of a phrase is used, is represented by an exclamation point. Pronouns There are seven root personal pronouns in Travonatian: O, Tlev, Li, Liæ, Ko, Nosf, and Liotys. These roots correspond to I, You, He, She, It, We, and They respectively. To form other pronouns, you add a different suffix to the end of the word. Here's a table: Vocabulary Travonatian has a "primitive" vocabulary, that is, some words are descriptive, such as "skin" being "Kotjov-ænimjel", literally meaning "coat of animal". Example text English: "All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood." Travonatian: "Tots kjomlest etok netop leber e-k-ekvel rekertxerek deknetek e drævets. Liotys etok endevos evek reжen e moreletek e xodver ektok kontrek dys otors kjomlest evek onæ-p-espret dy fretrenet." Category:Languages